No_1_May_and_June__1951 — Page 41

R.B.L.

615

MIDDLE

GAP

ROAD

The design for a private residence embraces certain fundamental prin- ciples which offer only limited pos- sibilities of variation. Hong Kong is a particularly difficult place for the architect as the isolation of the Colony and its economic position definitely limits the range of construction and decorative materials which are avail- able and thus restricts the design to within the compass of effects possible with the materials obtainable here.

An architect must, therefore, exer- cise the utmost ingenuity in order to incorporate that touch of individuality which will distinguish the building from the run of ordinary design, and he must take advantage of every na- tural feature to assist his imagination.

In the design of the residence for Mr. R. Wickerson, the Managing Director of The China Provident, Loan & Mortgage Co., Ltd., which was recently completed on Middle Gap Road, the architect took full advantage į of the shape of the spur on which it is situated. Since fairly extensive retaining walls were required to con- tain the site, the house was set out so as to utilize these retaining walls to their best advantage, aesthetically and economically. In this way, part of the retaining wall was formed into a basement under the living room and therein were placed the garage, ser- vants quarters, and the laundry and stores which flank the sides of the

garage.

The living room

39

Staircase to the bedroom,

The position of the retaining walls and the shape of the site introduced another variation from the normal in the location of the bedrooms vis-a-vis the living rooms below. Normally, in a two-storey building the bedrooms are placed on the upper floor immediate- ly above the living room areas and require a vertical stairhall. In this case, in order to take advantage of the rising ground, the bedrooms have been set behind the living room, with